Clean Slate
by SalvatoreStoleMyHeart
Summary: An alternative way of how things could have turned out between Stefan and Elena in episode 4x10. He's asking to forget all the memories. He's asking to have a clean slate. She's asking for him. One-Shot


**AN1: For full effect, I suggest you listen to "Depth over Distance" by Ben Howard while reading the story. It's just a suggestion and I think it fits the one-shot pretty well- but it's just a suggestion!**

_"Damon makes me happy. When I'm with him it feels unpredictable, like I'm free. (with stefan) Lately I feel like I'm a project, like a problem that needs to be fixed. I think I make him sad. And I can't be with someone like that because when he looks at me, all he sees is a broken toy."_

Stefan ushered Bonnie and April out of the classroom before going back in and locking it.

"Stefan", Elena said with tears in her eyes. She had to clear things out between them, Stefan had to understand.

"No", he answered determined with a quick glance her way before returning his gaze to the door.

"Stefan, please-"

"Talk about what huh ? How many ways are there for you to rip my heart out?"he said while walking towards her and putting his hands at his sides in defeat. He had no more energy to fight for the girl he loved, loves and will always love.

"I'm sorry.."

"You're sorry that it happened or sorry that I found out?" he challenged her.

"I'm sorry about all of it! I'm really sorry Stefan, I didn't mean to hurt you, I didn't want that," Elena explained. She was about to go on when the door opened and the blonde Original walked in.

"Why are my least favorite people always the most durable?" she asked and eyed Elena.

"Rebekah, get out. This is between me and Elena," Stefan answered stepping between the two girls.

"And you're still protecting her? Must I rip your bleeding heart from your chest and show you the scar tissue that is Elena Gilbert? There's a solution to all your problems you know?" Rebekah said while walking towards Elena only to stop and walk back to Stefan. "I can compel him. Erase every memory he has of you spent together, every kiss, every lie, every ounce of pain. I could take away every bit of love he has for you. Give you both a clean slate. Just say the word and i'll make you and all that misery you've caused him to disappear."

"Do it," Stefan said with no second thoughts.

"Excuse me?" she said while turning to face Stefan.

"Erase it all- every memory."

"No, Stefan," Elena said while stepping towards him. All of a sudden she remembered what he told her on the first night that they had met "Memories are too important." And here he was wanting to erase them all!

"I said do it!"

Rebekah made eye contact with Stefan and stared intensely before chuckling and shaking her head. "No, it would be far too easy. I refuse to make you forget her the way Klaus made you forget me," the blond said to Stefan. She once again turned to Elena and added "But at least you know how he really feels"

Rebekah looked at what used to be once 'the happy couple' and smiled. She turned towards the door and left. Stefan avoided eye contact with Elena but he could feel her staring at him. He gave in and looked into her big brown doe eyes which were now full of tears- a mere reflection of his own. He turned around and headed towards the exit.

"Stefan, wait," Elena started but he kept on walking away as if she wasn't there. She watched him leave and just as he turned down another corridor she ran after him. Her heels echoed in the empty hallway and Stefan could hear her approaching steps but didn't look back, not even once.

"Stefan, just listen to me, please!" she pleaded. Stefan walked a few more steps before stopping but keeping his back to her. Elena took the opportunity to take off the weight from her chest. "Can we go somewhere and talk?" He slowly revolved and faced her.

"Here is perfectly fine. Say what you have to say and then I'm out," he answered coldly. Elena knew she didn't have much time before he lost patience so she decided to cut to the chase.

"I love you, Stefan," and then bit her lip out of habit waiting for him to say something. He let out a chuckle and then bit the inside of his cheek.

"You already said that Elena. You also made it very clear that you love me but you're not _in love_ with me."

"That was for Rebekah- that's what she wanted to hear."

"Stop trying to get your way out of this Elena! She compelled you to say the truth and you did," Stefan almost yelled. He took a breath and continued in a calm voice. "You ripped my heart out for the millionth time, do you want to do it one more time?" he asked her and tears immediately filled her eyes. She knew she had hurt him, but the guilt she felt was unexplainable. It was overwhelming her. It wasn't guilt because she slept with Damon, it was guilt because she slept with Damon while still being in love with Stefan.

"I love you," she simply repeated and a tear strolled down her cheek. "Call me a liar, call me a bitch, call me whatever you want, but know that what i'm saying right now is the truth. I didn't know this until now, but Dopplegangers can't be compelled. I read it in Katherine's book. The further the line of dopplegangers is, the weaker the compulsion gets when they're vampires. Tatia had no control over it, Katherine was free if the Original died, and I've got the power of resisting the compulsion. It takes a lot, but I did it! What I said in that room is everything that Rebekah wanted to hear. If I had said that I was still in love with you, she would have known that something was wrong because if that was the case, we would still be together, but we're not."

"I didn't sleep with Damon because of the sire bond. I slept with Damon because I'm in love with him," Stefan repeated her words from earlier and just by hearing it, it stung Elena. She understood how painful it must have been to hear it from the person you love!

"Damon set me free just a few days ago. I had no control whatsoever over what I felt. I had one urge only while I was sired, and it was to make him happy- whatever it was!"

"But he also makes you happy, or was that again just for Rebekah to hear?" he asked, his tone rising.

"I wasn't lying when I said that you look at me like I'm a broken toy. You're not giving me the chance to be someone while I'm a vampire- you're just so focused on getting the cure. But then, last year, that might have been the way that I looked at you when you were a Ripper. I was focused on getting the old you back, and not trying to accept the other part of you."

"I never want you to accept the other part of me," he answered bluntly.

"Then, when we got back together, I felt like you were trying to forget everything that had happened last year," she continued as if Stefan had never spoken. "I felt like you were trying to pick up right from where we left off when we have clearly changed! We can't just pick it up, we're not a book Stefan, but we're a working-progress. But do you know what pained me the most? The fact that you wanted to erase every memory of me. Weren't you the one that told me on the very first day we met that memories are too important to not write them down? After everything that we've been through, you wanted a clean slate. After everything that we've been through, that was definitely the most painful thing that i've heard," she said and swallowed heavily while tears continuously streamed down her face. "But this is me Stefan, asking you to give me one last chance. You can get your clean slate if you want and pretend that nothing ever happened, but don't actually erase all the memories- you've come from so far… _We've_ come from so far. Just one last chance," she finished.

"I can't do it Elena. Not anymore," Stefan said while looking straight into Elena's eyes. She looked down at her feet, those were the exact words that he had used when they had broken up just weeks ago. She then suddenly remembered something and looked up to see Stefan's broken face.

"Fine, Stefan, whatever," she answered hoping with everything she had that he understood the hidden message. Stefan was smart and it took him a matter of seconds before he realized what Elena truly meant. She used their "I love you" codes when Katherine was around. Elena hadn't given up on him, and everything they've been through was just a barrier. Whether it was Stefan's Ripper self or Elena's sire-bond to Damon, Stefan and Elena's kind of love never dies. Stefan took three strides to close the space between them and took Elena's face in his hands before kissing her like he's never kissed her before. Her arms circled his neck and her left hand started to stroke the back where his hair starts. His arms had snaked around her waist, holding her tight and never wanting to let go. The kiss deepened and more passion was exchanged. The wall that Elena had built during her sire bond to stop herself from falling for him all over again came tumbling down like a house of cards as she found herself kissing him back. Stefan pushed her towards the lockers and pressed his body against hers, trapping her. His kisses travelled to her cheek, to her neck, to her collarbone before going back to her lips. He felt all of her passion being given to him as their tongues battled for dominance. Her hands were tangled in his hair while he was holding her legs around his waist, still pressing her against the locker. He stopped kissing her and gently pressed his forehead to hers.

"I love you too, Elena" he whispered in her ear and held her close.

The couple were so immersed in each other that they didn't hear the approaching footsteps.

"Elena, you've seriously got _a lot_ of explaining to do! Seriously! Who the hell do you think you are telling Stef-" Caroline stopped mid sentence when she saw the couple embraced in each others arms against the lockers. Stefan was still holding Elena's legs around his waist and her arms were securely placed around his neck. They both turned their heads towards the sound of Caroline's voice but not letting go of each other. "Oh, ummm. Okay. I'll leave now. Elena, you _still _have SO MUCH to explain!" Caroline said and turned around with a wide grin on her face walking back the way she came from.

"I think she's the happiest person right now", commented Elena as she looked back at Stefan.

"She's not the only one", he added.

"No, she's not the only one," she agreed with a smile on her face. He smiled back before bringing his lips back to hers. Because right there, the two happiest people were Stefan and Elena themselves.

They've found home again.

**AN: This is just how I think things should have turned out between Stefan and Elena in the last episode. I wrote it while I was pretty rushed- sorry if there are gramatical errors. But I just wanted to get it out there!  
Read and Review please. They make me smile ! :)**


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